BarcelonaBritish singer Robbie Williams, 52, has announced that he was recently diagnosed with autism. The former Take That member shared the news during a Q&A session held in London to mark the launch of the autumn-winter collection from Hopeium, his clothing brand, at the Flannels department store. According to various British media outlets, Williams told attendees that the diagnosis has helped him understand many of his peculiarities. Far from seeing it as a problem, the singer states that he has taken it “with humor,” and says it now serves him “as a kind of wildcard to justify his more eccentric behavior.”
The autism disorder adds to the diagnoses of ADHD and Tourette syndrome that he had already made public last year. Williams took the opportunity to detail how he experiences ADHD: he assures that he is capable of concentrating to the maximum on what he is passionate about – especially in creating images and imagining fun things – while it is almost impossible for him to do so with anything else. As he explained, creativity serves as an escape valve for intrusive thoughts and anxiety. He exemplified this with an anecdote about the fear he felt on a flight, imagining he had powers capable of moving the plane.
An “inner Tourette”
This is not the first time Robbie Williams has spoken openly about his neurodivergence. Last fall, in an appearance on the podcast I’m ADHD! No You’re Not, he had already explained that he suffers from a kind of “inner Tourette’s.” According to the artist, he has intrusive thoughts that do not manifest as visible tics. At that time, he also said that he suspected he might be autistic and that’s why he decided to take an online test. The response to that test was that he was not autistic but that he had some traits characteristic of this spectrum, especially in relation to social interaction.
For decades, the musician has spoken frankly about his mental health problems. He has even recounted on several occasions that for a few years he misused prescribed medication while trying to “fix” himself. Now he has also stated that it has taken him almost twenty years to reach a point where he feels at peace with himself.
